The Perfect Garden?

Is there such a thing as the perfect garden? If you ask me the answer is NO!

Each winter I move plants, pull out plants, and plan to buy plants all in an effort create the perfect garden for the next year. I never seem tobe satisfied with the garden that I have.

Any gardener that you speak with will tell you that the garden they have has taken years of trials and errors and is always a work in progress. In my book "Diary of A Wannabe Gardener" Samantha learns there is no such thing as the perfect garden, but all gardens are beautiful and individual.

Below is what some famous people have had to say about gardening and gardeners:

DOROTHY FRANCES GURNEY:
The kiss of the sun for pardon,
The song of the birds for mirth,
One is nearer God's heart in a garden
Than anywhere else on earth. "Garden Thoughts"

ELIZABETH MURRAY:
Gardening is the art that uses flowers and plants as paint, and the soil and sky as canvas.

LEWIS GANNIT:
Gardening is a kind of disease. It infects you, you cannot escape it. When you go visiting, your eyes rove about the garden; you interrupt the serious cocktail drinking because of an irresistible impulse to get up and pull a weed.

THOMAS MOORE:
The many great gardens of the world, of literature and poetry, of painting and music, of religion and architecture, all make the point as clear as possible: The soul cannot thrive in the absence of a garden. If you don't want paradise, you are not human; and if you are not human, you don't have a soul.
God almighty first planted a garden: and, indeed, it is the purest of human pleasure.

Francis Bacon
The best place to seek God is in a garden. You can dig for him there.
George Bernard Shaw

Foxglove and Knockout Roses

Up early this a.m. trying to get active before the snakes on this cool morning. I purchased two purple foxgloves last night and found, hopefully a suitable home for them. Moisture is the big issue in the hot summer

I've tried without success to start these plants by seed indoors and outdoors. I finally said the heck with it and purchased some. Hope to have them around in my garden for a while since they are suppose to self seed. I have hummingbirds that visit regularly. I think they are going to enjoy this plant. I know the bumble bees will.


I think I have all the colors of the Knock Out Rose that is available. I added the double pink this morning and the yellow one which is super fragrant, last week. These Knock Outs have become the work horses of my garden.

As I say each year, I am running out of space for more plants. But I am going on a major purchasing run on May 6th to my favorite nursery. I will get some red coreopsis and hopefully a pink Angel Trumpet. I say major because the Angel Trumpets and coreopsis cost alot.

As always, keep an eye out for photos of my garden.

Oprah and Aunt Catherine Carr-Esters

“I’m sorry this book portraying her falsely was ever written and that I participated by answering questions…Kitty Kelley misquoted me when she said I told her who your father was…’How could I know?’” direct quote from Ms. Esters.

I visited Oprah's cousin Ms. Esters on the smae day Kitty Kelly biographer had stopped by for an interview. Ms. Ester encouraged me to write and publish my first book and I was developing an idea on a book signing at our local library (Attala County Library) in the following month. I asked my friend what did the writer want.

"She wanted some dirt on Oprah, but she didn't get any from me. I told her Oprah has done many good things like the Oprah Winfrey Boys and Girls Club she built here. She wanted some dirt, but she didn't get it from me."

Ms. Esters an author herself, knows the ins and outs of writing. One slip of the tongue and things can go wrong. Her own book "Jay Bird Creek" is a memoir of growing up in the birthplace of Oprah. It recounts the difficulties of growing up in Mississippi during the time of Jim Crow. But anyone who has met and spoke to Ms Esters knows she is a proud woman and family pride runs even deeper.

If asked about any hard times in life she would admit to such but you will always hear a ring of 'dignity' and 'we held our heads high' type of attitude. I'm sure while discussing life she would never admit to abject poverty and starvation, even if it was true.

Kitty Kelly must have realized the type of woman she was interviewing, an older proud black woman of the South. There are alot of denials when it comes to life in the south; past, present, and future.

A photo of Oprah hugging the neck of her older cousin is proudly displayed in Ms. Esters home. There are beautiful full genetic smiles.

Fame and celebrity biographies are meant to tear families apart, but I hope these family members can weather the storm.

After reading an early draft of Jay Bird Creek and My Recollections, Oprah Winfrey wrote to her cousin Katharine Carr Esters and said, "Now I know where our strength comes from This is indeed a story of remarkable strength, not to mention stubbornness, imagination, courage, and just plain hard work -- all of them essential traits for a poor black girl trying to survive the Depression in Jim Crow Mississippi. In the end, Esters did much more than survive: She used her own struggle as a model to help others fighting to preserve their dignity and place in the world. This is a story of one woman's political awakening. After learning the principles of organizing in the midst of the Civil Rights struggle in Milwaukee, she retuned to Mississippi, where she has served on the state's Mental Health Board of Directors, on its Probation and Parole Board, and on its Governor's Advisory Council. In one way or another, Katharine Carr Esters has spent all of her 82 years struggling, working, fighting to give people -- black people, most obviously, but all people, especially women and the poor -- a full stake in life. This has been a life that has mattered."

White Supremist Murdered in Jackson, MS

In our little capital in our little part of the world a life was taken. I'm sure their are those that would say he was a man of hate and racism and made a bed he is now lying in. But this would be an faulty conclusion.

If there is one thing I am repetitive about is the fact--none of us get what we deserve when it comes to judgement of our lives. Jesus died so that we would not get what we deserve but allowed us to have the gift of mercy and repentence.

God in His wisdom is the only true person to decide who lives and who dies.

Now, the news will focus on what impact the murder willhave on race relations. Their first assumption is obvious--someone probably killed him for his beliefs. We know that humans have a gang mentality for revenge and this murder could spark retaliations if it is a black person who kulled the supremist. At the time of my posting, I do not know the race of the murderer.

I am trying to coordinate a speaking engagement targeted at local pastors and the important role they play in their communities. In Jesus' ministry he said "Follow Me" and his disciples went with him learning by example with on the job training. Today's pastors need to do this and tell their congregation "Follow Me" and actually go out into their community serving others, living eating among others, being concerned and a part of what their community is doing instead of sitting passively in the church waiting for people to come. And once those people do come, they offer them a lifetime on a pew. This is why communities, schools, cities, states, and our nation is falling apart. There is no "Follow Me" going on.

Martin Luther King was the last great ministry. His ministry was in motion with many people following and receiving on the job training. The followers did what the leader did.

Look at any church or congregation and the sheep mimic the shepherd. If the pastor shouts and dances, the congregation shouts and dances. If the pastor is well read and enjoys studying the Bible, the congregation follows etc.

With masses of people in the church, the local pastor is very influential. If he does not care about the community, then the ears that he reaches each Sunday do not care about the community.

It is time to care. It is time to say "Follow Me."

Will The World End In 2012 Book Review

With so much attention and concern today focusing on the Mayan prediction of the world ending December 21, 2012, author Raymond C. Hudley, PH.D., pens a timely book separating facts from myths without bias.

The author immediately declares his Christian standing, but true to academic research, does not allow his religion to interfere in presenting the 10 most prominent assertions that the world will end in 2012.

In an easy to read and understand presentation, Hundley presents data from leading professionals for and against the 2012 doomsday prediction. He tackles individually, chapter by chapter, the mechanics of each prediction given. He adeptly presents details that are able to maintain the interest of school age children and adults alike. Data supporting and rejecting the predictions is given without manipulating the reader in one direction or the other.

True to the nature and purpose of every Christian, Hundley ends his book with an evangelistic appeal for those having anxiety over the ending of the world to come to Salvation through Jesus Christ. He advocates freedom from fear as having peace in the knowledge one's eternal life.

I would encourage those interested or curious about any of the numerous 2012 predictions to purchase this book to declutter some of the prediction's confusion.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson Publishing for supplying the book. Great read.

Garden Beginnings April 2010

Today was another beautiful day. It started off a little chilly but warmed up nicely. I turned over a bed of less than rich soil and planted hundreds of marigold seeds. I also planted some more seeds which I cannot recall at this moment but they will be dainty and blue. I started some Salvias in a pot for transplant later. Pulling weeds is a daily chore so is sitting outside in the swing with hubby after a long day of work. Many of the roses have started to bloom. I will add pictures as I take them of my garden. For the moment it is lush and green.

Each year I am invaded by caterpillers. The up side is that later I have a garden filled with beautiful butterflies that the little ones love to chase. My neice says she is afraid of the hairy worms.

I hate when I buy a plant labeled as one thing and turns out to be another. This Clematis is supposed to be pink but is definitly purple.

This is what is left of a evergreen bush once the deer finished. I decided to keep the wooden skeleton and decorate it with butterflies and dragonflies. It's yard art.


Lady Banks Rose intertwined in a Red Crepe Myrtle

Chinese Butterfly Rose up close and full of bumble bees


This is a wide angle view of my Chinese Butterfly Rose which blooms the earliest of all of my roses.

American Idol Dreads

Crystal Bowersox can sing and she rocks her dreads to boot.

American Idol Season 9 contestant Chrystal Bowersox has her own style which she does not seem to want to alter. Her voice is soulful. She is the type of person you would expect to see wearing dreads.

In a previous post, I wondered aloud was it cool for ther ethnicities to wear dreads other than African Americans. People have strong feelings against people who are not black wearing the hairstyle. I on the other hand think hair is a personal choice that cannot be dictated.

I find her dreads as interesting as she is. I do not believe the ordinary or run-of-the-mill type person can or would even choose to wear dreads. Crystal is my pick to win for this season.

Good luck Crystal.


Bowersox was born in Elliston, Ohio. She is a single mother and has a son. She also has a fraternal twin brother. During her days as a struggling musician, she played as a busker at several train stations.


Bowersox auditioned for American Idol in Chicago, Illinois. She sang "Piece of My Heart". Ellen DeGeneres commented that she had "raw natural talent" and Simon Cowell continues to compliment her voice every week.

On March 2, Bowersox was hospitalized because of an unconfirmed illness, forcing a last minute switch in scheduling to give her extra time to recuperate. The men competed that day instead of the women. She sang the next day and impressed all of the judges. The illness was later reported as a problem with diabetes.

The following week, her strong performance prompted Simon Cowell to state, "Right now, you are the one everyone has to beat".

Her performances are usually accompanied by her guitar except for her rendition of "Midnight Train to Georgia" in which she played the piano.

BLACK FEET a poem

I read a post from Lady Kinks along with a video of a young girl getting a beat down because of her hair (dreads). Kids use to fight about shoes and clothes and boyfriends and girlfriends, now they fight about hair. We need to get ourselves together. Check out one of my poems to be part of a larger group of work.

BLACK FEET
by Dorothy Guyton

Move fast black feet Master needs a refreshing drink
He awaits the arrival of the cold well water
Keep your black feet moving no time to rest or think
Aunt May is chopping cotton - so is your six year old daughter

Move fast black feet to quickly birth your slave baby
One day in bed a luxury; back to work, back to misery
Recuperation denied; a gift from God to only gentility.
With coarse matted hair and dark brown skin oh no you be no lady.

Move fast black feet the Baskerville hounds are on your scent
Keep pushing on to the promised land where you can be
A free black person no longer for sale or rent
A place where big noses and lips are treated with humanity.

Move fast black feet stand in indignant lines to protest
Your right to be counted, to vote for president
Still learning to read and spell to speak in lingo eloquent
Rising each day free to give and to strive to do your best.

Move fast black feet its time to go to college
To sit where science, history, and math are being taught
To enter into that new Garden of Eden ; price paid claim your knowledge
Through blood shed and tears ran cold it was earned and bravely fought.

Move fast black feet the nameless bullets are whizzing by
Innocent life struck down on streets by thugs
Fueled by lack of inner pride and puppet string sold drugs
Black feet survived so much to live- forget and now dishonorably die

Move fast black feet to remind our people of the refashioned sanitized past
To tell them freedom is flighty and doesn’t always last
To remember black feet toiled, moaned and prayed once upon a time
Against the stripes upon their back and their sale for not a crime

Move fast black feet to righteous protest to the picket lines once again
Raise voices and hands that loudly ask can your greedy eyes see black me
We all have fought to live and to forever live life self determinedly free
For every ethnicity of people who ever claimed to be your brother - human

Move fast black feet for while all of you slumbered and slept
Jim Crow’s Law came back into today it stealthily Santanly crept
Nappy hair, monkey brains is the story now being told
Back to the bidder’s block, Look! A Negro is being sold.

When we allow ourselves to be caught up in the small things of day to day life we lose sight of the bigger picture. Last Friday I saw a flyer on the courthose bulletin board asking for volunteers for the Mississippi Militia to be ready to fight terrorist foreign and domestic. Wake up young and old before you are just another pair of black feet.

A Busy Gardening Bee

Well the weather is warm and I am hot. O.K., maybe I'm not really hot but I am excited to be back out in my garden again.

For gardeners who have dreads, remember to tie up your hair while working among the plants. I learnedthe hard way while leaning down to pull a clump of weeds next to a rose bush. To say the least I was tangled in the thorns with one dread after the other being caught on the bush. When I would lean in one direction, I would cause another hanging tendral to become snagged. After much huffing and puffing (and leaving some strands of red hair behind) I freed myself from the lovely rose bush. If It had come down to it; I would have cut a dread instead of a rose stem.

Anyway, I have been transplanting some 4 O'Clocks. I read or was told by someone that the plant did not like being moved. Well I did and the new transplants are doing fine.

I went to my local nursery and did not find anything I wanted to purchase. So, I hit my old standby--Wal Mart. I had passed by a nice foliage type plant that today I decided to give a home. I bought Ascot Rainbow Spurge and a wonderful wine colored Spurge. I will try to get as many drought tolerant plants as possible and these are so into the ground they went.

You cannot see it from this photo but the tips of the lime green bloom is a spot of red in the center the diameter of a pencil tip.

A plant I have wanted to try for forever is the Bleeding Heart plant. About 3 years ago I made a Hosta bed in a little space of shade nestled up against my house. This is an ideal place for the shade and moisture loving plant and is a great companion to the Hosta's since the Bleeding Heart plant virtually disappears after blooming. The broadleafs of the Hosta will cover over the empty space left by the Bleeding Heart plant.

So I hope you all are out enjoying nature and enjoying life with the birds and the bees and the flowers and the trees. I also hope the pollen is not causing too much illness.

Rhymes from another time

Sometimes when an active thunderstorm rolls into our community, we lose electricity to a fallen branch. All technology comes to a standstill. Televisions are silenced. Computers are in a coma. What is left is for the family to entertain ourselves and it is usually me, by popular demand, who fills the space with tall tales of years past. From a young age to impending adulthood, my girls have never tired of my stories.

Once when the electricity was off it was during daylight hours on a lazy Sunday afternoon. My middle child had the brilliant idea of going through my senior memory book. I knew there would be jokes and jeering at my expense. I also wanted to visit for a moment that pubescent teen all full of something to see how much I had changed.

Page after page of torture I laughed with my children as they laughed at my hilarious youth. I relived times I thought were detestable and realized they were "the good ole days."

Hairstyles have changed along with favorite songs. Pick up lines from eager young men do not rhyme anymore. No thought or preparation for how to win the affection of the fairer sex. The little gang, made up of five girls I belonged to existed in name only (The Black Widow Spiders). There was no violence just a way to try to seem exclusive and popular with what we considered a cool name.

Football season as well as basketball season was truly spent cheering on the team. Now teens gather in the dark secret places hoping to make love connections. Times have changed that is for sure. But what is old is new again it is just the book cover that has changed.

Kids still strive to be popular but now it is at someone else's expense. to hear that suicides results from severe bullying makes me wish my kids were part of the good ole days. I still see kids practicing the latest dance and they sing the latest song. Dances now-a-days is to send the message "Hey look at me I'm sexy" and the lyrics to their music is a competition of vulgarity.

Well when the twist and rock and roll entered the scene parents believed the youth were going to hell. It is still the same now, people believe hip hop will kill.

I lived and survived the world spinning out of control with sin. And somehow someway our kids will make it too.

So here is a peek into my 17 year old life. I promise you I have matured but when I read this I smile with delight.

PERFECT MAN PRAYER----By Dorothy, 1983.

Lord help my searching eyes to see
That special man who’s right for me
Lord also help my wondering mind
To find that man who’s oh so kind
Lord bless him with good looks and charm
A gentle heart and loving arms
One who give good lovin all day long
Sexy, caring, nice and strong
Lord once I get him if I do
Make his love for me pure and true
Lord bless with an everlasting love
The kind that’s sent only from above
May we blend together like bread and meat
Make him nor me ever desire to cheat
Lord make his kiss as sweet as honey
I wouldn’t mind if he had some money
If things don’t work out on my own I’ll find another
Because there is nothing like a steady lover.

Past Imperfect

Last year while talking to a male friend of mine in Seminary, he told me how much he loved Facebook and he had hundreds of friends who he kept in touch with. Many of his friends were people he had met while serving in the Army. This notion of people I had met while in the Army sent chills up my spine. I told him I would not want the people I had known while in the Army contacting me. During those Army days I was a different person. And I wanted that different person from my past to stay in my past.

Fast forward to the present.

I joined Facebook last month. While searching for names of people I knew, I ran across an old Army buddy. I sent this person a private message titled "I think I know you." I reminded the person of my maiden name and where exactly I thought we had met. If this was the person, I really didn't think they would want to contact me. In a preemptive move I said they didn't have to reply, but left my e-mail address just in case. Two days later and I have not received a reply. I knew this would be the case.

I began to think a lot about the people I had interacted with in my youth and came up with this answer: I don't believe any of my past acquaintances would want to play catch up with me. NOT A PLEASANT THOUGHT.

I have been a lone wolf most of my life never trying to make deep connections with others. I never even try to remember any one's name. Faces I never forget; names never stick in my mind. I have ran from bumping into people in public places because I did not remember their name. When trapped and someone remembers me and I can not for the life of me remember their name, I just play along like I do. My children have shook their heads in utter astonishment at me recounting the past with people whose name I could not recall.

I have dodged people who in the past I was not so pleasant to. They, on the other hand have seemed to have forgotten that I paid little or no attention to them.

Even though I was not necessarily mean or evil in my past, I was young and dumb making one embarrassing mistake after the other. Growing up is such a hands on process and can be very messy. Needless to say, my education in life came through trial and error. And I do not want to bump into errors of my past. To say the least I was past imperfect. I would like it if no one could remember any of those growing pains they witness me going through or were involved in.

So, what about the people in my life today? Well, I'm still a lone wolf not making lasting friendships, but I have slowed down on making mistakes through trial and error. Marriage adds a lot of stability in a life, so does motherhood. Leaving behind your youthful experimenting twenties makes a big difference too.

By the way, that person from my past I contacted, I had to say 'I'm sorry' to them on more than one occasion. I'm sure I left a bad taste in their mouth. I am probably something to them better left in the past.

I believe many of us have been PAST IMPERFECT if we were to really think about it. I am just glad I get a chance to be FUTURE PERFECT or at least BETTER.

The hand that rocks the cradle

We often sit around and complain about the horrible state our state or country is in. We see our youths with their pants on the ground and young girls displaying sexuality early in life. There is a lack of interest in education and quick cash is the way to go. Well, these are legitimate complaints, but what can be done about them?

I believe and strongly advocate change begins at home. The Bible states we are to train a child in the way they should go and they will not depart from it. Many people mistakenly assume this passage means to force your child to attend church each Sunday in their youth and they will become a Christian later in life. THIS IS SO WRONG.

The education and training of your child is mainly their home enviroment. From the day you bring your bundle of joy home from the hospital, they are a sponge soaking up their enviroment mimicking those that surround them. The adage of do what I say and not what I do IS SOOOO WRONG too. Your children do as you do and will not depart from these lessons.

If you have a household filled with cursing--your children will learn to curse and not depart from it.

If you have a household that acts one way behind closed doors and another way when people are looking or when in public---you will raise a deceptive person who knows when to turn it on and to turn it off.

If your word does not mean anything in your home and lying comes easy to you about small things-- your child will learn lying is o.k. and won't even notice the ease in which they do it. I have had people lie about their real or fake hair at church and not realize if you lie about small things you lie about big things too.

If you disrespect people's space at home your children will disrespect other's: property and authority.

And if you do not value your child as a individual with a gift that should be nutured at every step in life--your child will not have respect for human life. This is why drive by shootings can exist. If you do not value your own life you will not value the life of others.

Boyfriends and girlfriends being changed out every two years? Your child will not have any respect for future relationship partners in their lives.

EDUCATION OF CHILDREN IS DONE BY EXAMPLE. Jesus demonstrated this through his life on earth. He came to earth in human form to SHOW you by example how you were to live. Just telling us as in the Old Testament was not good enough and too hard for us to maintain so he said "copy me" and you will be fine.

The hand that rocks the cradle--the hand holding the future and direction of our society, in most cases are single women. We are already off to a bad start with our children not experience the balance of a male and female working together on a common goal of raising well adjusted children.

Anyway, moms-- you can directly influence the direction of our states, of our nations. If you are politically concerned and savvy--your children will be. If you are seen reading a lot, your children will read. If you are constantly challenging yourself to try new things and think outside the box--your children will be inquisitive and seek higher and higher goals in their lives.

Finally, if you love God and others when no one is looking and make love and doing kind and good deeds daily for no recognition but because it is the right thing to do--your kids will be concerned with the good things and create good for themselves and others.

Believe it or not, yor children are at their core more like you than you know. Their philosophy on life came from you. They may do different things but they attack it with the worldview they learned in your house.

Girls expect to be treated well in relationships because they saw their mom treated well and demanded to be respected for her mind and personality and not her body.

Boys will treat women well in relationships if they see their mothers demand to be respected by men for their minds and character and not their body. Remember, mothers rock the cradle whether there is a man present or not.

Give your parenting skills much thought. Don't just wing it. The kid will grow up whether you instill anything in them or not. But help mold people you want to meet in your daily life. Do you want to be around someone always ready to fight or who talks about you as soon as your back is turned? Then don't you do it in your home in front of young developing minds.

Break the tradition of THAT'S THE WAY I WAS RAISED AND I'M FINE. You may be fine but are you a productive member of society for it's good or are you only concerned with your little part of the world?

Answer this question to know if you are fine:

Are you the same person you were in your early 20's, 30's, 40' 50's etc. or have you changed and grown adding more positive skills and experiences to your life?

If you are still the same person enjoying the same things and people you did when you were a teen; then what do you have to offer your children in their education of life? You haven't tasted the diversity of people and thoughts that this God given world has to offer.

Offer your kids life filled with more than the same old same old. Read, learn, grow, pray. Ask God to help you discover that wonderful talent he gave to you at your creation and to help you guide and direct the talent instilled from God in your children.

God gave you the gift of children. They belonged to Him first and He intrusted you to help prepare them for their kingdom work.

So moms, I encourage you to begin from day one while rocking that cradle you are changing the world for the better or worse, but you are having a hand in the future.

Good News For Me

As you all know I write books. Writing for me is the easy part. Getting them published is a little bit tougher. It takes a lot of rejections before you finally make it to being in Wal-Mart. With more people buying books online, this makes selling books even more of a challenge. I don't know what a person would have to be looking for on Amazon.com to find my book and purchase it, but it's there waiting for someone to love it.

Anyway, I was contacted last week by Strategic Book Publishing company (Tanya in acquisitions)who requested my manuscript for "When Will Eve Be Forgiven?" I was happy to receive a request from a publishing company. It is not unusual for a writer to be rejected hundreds of times and one author said after his tenth book, he finally got published. Some people make it and some people don't. Please take a moment to wish me luck and to offer up a prayer. I will greatly appreciate it. Below is the letter I send to publishing companies to get them to bite.

“4 things a woman should know: How to look like a girl, how to act like a lady, how to think like a man, and how to work like a dog (Anonymous).” “Women are a necessary evil, a natural temptation, a desirable calamity, a domestic peril, a deadly fascination and painted ills (Chrysostom).” “[Women] are the gateway to Hell (Tertullian).” “Women do not have a soul and do not belong to the human race, as shown by many passages of Holy Scripture (Valentius Acidalius).” “…I do not allow [women] to speak, but must be in submission, as the Law says (Apostle Paul).” These are quotes that Christian history and society have made about women, but history is about to change!

Are you a frustrated Christian woman? Have you come to the conclusion that the apostle Paul is a male chauvinist? Are you concerned about the message Christianity is offering teenage girls about womanhood? Or, are you a male trying to understand women? If you answered yes to any of the above questions, this book is for you.

When Will Eve Be Forgiven is a nonfiction book that examines and defines the “curse” of Eve and the atoning work of Jesus. This book challenges the reader to go beyond the traditional explanations and characterizations of Eve and her female descendents. Each chapter is easy to follow and fosters growth for the non-Christian and the advanced Christian reader.

When I was a seminary student, I heard the complaints and confusion expressed by many women regarding how society viewed them. In the magazine Christian History, Women in the Early Church, the question is posed whether “special treatment” should be given to women to make up for history’s exclusion of them. Christian historians are bringing to the forefront the contributions women have made to Christian history. A 1991 Gallop survey stated that women control 80% of every dollar spent on consumer goods, 88% of general bookstore shoppers consider themselves as Christians, and 42% of them purchased a Bible or other religious books in the past year (Publishers Weekly).

The response to the title of my book has been: “It’s about time someone addresses how women continue to be associated with Eve’s sin while men are not associated with Adam’s sin.” My book clarifies and defines how God feels about women in Scripture and that women should forgive themselves first and not rely on others to give them freedom and acceptance within the Christian community and the world at large. It is a timely book for all who witnessed the historical presidential race of 2008. I’ve enclosed a SASE if you are interested in seeing the completed manuscript. I look forward to your response.

HE IS RISEN

HE IS RISEN!
This is the history changing proclaimation. The world has not been the same since those first century Christians saw the resurrected image of a crucified savior. The testimony began with two women and later was given credibility by more than 500 witnesses. Triumph over death was accomplished by Jesus Christ of Nazereth.

So why are there so many bunnies and eggs seen on this resurrection Sunday? Our old standby explanation of things we cannot control is hard at work. How do we make heads and tails of the unexplainable? We turn to superstition and folklore.

Do you know why eggs and bunnies are associated with the Easter celebration. It is because both the egg and bunny are symbols of fertility and for that reason were an important part of European Spring festivals. After Europe became Christianized these symbals of Spring and fertility were transfered to the Christian Easter celebration, a holiday that celebrates renewed life.

There are a number of superstitions relating to Good Friday:

A child born on Good Friday and baptised on Easter Sunday has the gift of healing.

Many fishermen will not set out for catch on Good Friday.

Bread or cakes baked on this day will not go mouldy.

Eggs laid on Good Friday will never go bad.

The planting of crops is not advised on this day, as an old belief says that no iron should enter the ground (i.e. spade, fork etc.).

Hot cross buns baked on Good Friday were supposed to have magical powers. It is said that you could keep a hot cross bun which had been made on Good Friday for at least a year and it wouldn't go mouldy.

Hardened old hot cross buns are supposed to protect the house from fire

Sailors took hot cross buns to sea with them to prevent shipwreck.

A bun baked on Good Friday and left to get hard could be grated up and put in some warm milk to stop an upset tummy.

Having a hair cut on Good Friday will prevent toothaches the rest of the year.

Giving Easter Eggs goes back to the Egyptians and Romans whom both used egg-giving as a symbol of resurrection and continuing life.

Christianity later adopted the egg as an emblem of the Resurrection of Christ.

Infants were given hard-boiled eggs dyed red (the blood of Christ) to keep them healthy for the coming year.

Children born on Easter Day are considered fortunate.

Ancient German superstition states that Rabbits lay eggs on Easter Day hence the Easter Bunny.

Pagan origins of Easter:
Many, perhaps most, Pagan religions in the Mediterranean area had a major seasonal day of religious celebration at or following the Spring Equinox. Cybele, the Phrygian fertility goddess, had a consort, Attis, who was believed to have been born via a virgin birth. Attis was believed to have died and been resurrected each year during the period MAR-22 to MAR-25.

Gerald L. Berry, author of "Religions of the World," wrote:

"About 200 B.C. mystery cults began to appear in Rome just as they had earlier in Greece. Most notable was the Cybele cult centered on Vatican hill ...Associated with the Cybele cult was that of her lover, Attis (the older Tammuz, Osiris, Dionysus, or Orpheus under a new name). He was a god of ever-reviving vegetation. Born of a virgin, he died and was reborn annually. The festival began as a day of blood on Black Friday and culminated after three days in a day of rejoicing over the resurrection." 3

Wherever Christian worship of Jesus and Pagan worship of Attis were active in the same geographical area in ancient times, Christians:

"... used to celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus on the same date; and pagans and Christians used to quarrel bitterly about which of their gods was the true prototype and which the imitation."

Many religious historians and liberal theologians believe that the death and resurrection legends were first associated with Attis, many centuries before the birth of Jesus. They were simply grafted onto stories of Jesus' life in order to make Christian theology more acceptable to Pagans. Others suggest that many of the events in Jesus' life that were recorded in the gospels were lifted from the life of Krishna, the second person of the Hindu Trinity. Ancient Christians had an alternative explanation; they claimed that Satan had created counterfeit deities in advance of the coming of Christ in order to confuse humanity. 4 Modern-day Christians generally regard the Attis legend as being a Pagan myth of little value with no connection to Jesus. They regard Jesus' death and resurrection account as being true, and unrelated to the earlier tradition.

Wiccans and other modern-day Neopagans continue to celebrate the Spring Equinox as one of their 8 yearly Sabbats (holy days of celebration). Near the Mediterranean, this is a time of sprouting of the summer's crop; farther north, it is the time for seeding. Their rituals at the Spring Equinox are related primarily to the fertility of the crops and to the balance of the day and night times. In those places where Wiccans can safely celebrate the Sabbat out of doors without threat of religious persecution, they often incorporate a bonfire into their rituals, jumping over the dying embers is believed to assure fertility of people and crops.

So today we celebrate with a mixture of the pagan and Christian tradition. There are those Christians who rail against the notion of the Easter Bunny and his appearance along with his colorful eggs. But, as Jesus drilled into our minds through the Scriptures, it is the content of a person's heart that he is concerned with. Are you a pagan who worships some goddess or are you a Christian who knows the truth of Jesus' life, death and resurrection who happens to enjoy coloring and hiding eggs for little children to find? It is the heart that will be judged.

It is not the history of the Easter Bunny or a pagan goddess that many people celebrate on Easter. I say, just remember why we celebrate the day and enjoy it as a celebration of life.

Happy Easter

RELEASE THE KRAKEN!!!!!!!!!!

If you haven't seen this movie yet, you are missing out. I just returned from the movie theater and I say "release the Kraken" every chance I get.

This was a wonderful remake of an old classic by Ray Harryhausen. If you liked the written story of Perseus, you will enjoy this movie. The special effects are smoothe and flawless. The action scenes are believeable and at times human blunder is allowed to sneak in during some of the fighting scenes. The Gods are regal and you will have no problem rooting for the heroes. The story line is simple--man versus the unbeatable beasts. There was only one curse word; a rarity in movies today. Me and my daughters whispered throughout the movie as usual and laughed at the appropriate times. HINT: The evil characters in the movie always whisper:)

Now, what will the religious sector have to say about the movie? Well, it was released during the Easter season. A time when Christians are thankful for a Savior. The lead character, Sam Worthington, is seen as a savior, who at the end comes from heaven (from an eclipsing sun) riding on a winged black stallion to save mankind from the wrath of Hedes (satan type).

Zeus declares often he created man and intended and gained power from them worshipping him. It is by his grace that humans are allowed to live. Zeus allows his brother, Hedes, to run rampant on the ungrateful creation doing evil to them.

There is no disguising the parallel to God and His creation. Hopefully, the religious community can view this movie for what it is--very entertaining. If there is any ire roused, the movie offers a opening to discuss the doctrine of Christianity and win converts and answer some unanswered questions by new Christians.

The movie offers a good moral understanding of good and evil. When man loses hope or faith in the God that they worship, Satan is increased by their doubt and uncertainty.

I took the parallel in the movie and compared it to the Christian belief I profess. I hope God is with me through all of my battles supplying me with the necessary tools for victory. To know He is present, looking on, concerned with my sucess as I go through insurmountable obstacles is a comforting thought the movie reminded me about. I can be victorious, accomplishing the extraordinary and yet not place myself in the position of God, but as a human created by God.

This is a movie I will purchase when it becomes available on DVD. I did not see it in 3D but my eyes and mouth were open with every well executed, suspenseful fight scene. Of course, I loved Medusa and enjoyed the snakes.

Tulip trees, Dogwood Trees, bees and snakes

Alas! Spring has sprung!

There are butterflies zooming about. Bumble bees tussel for the best blooms with nectar. Red wasps frighten the children. Lime green lizards jump from shaky flower stem to flower stem and I run from a black runner snake looking for a tasty treat by my feet on my front steps. This is an ordinary day in my gardening life.

I was amazed at how fast I jumped up and ran for the safety of the inside of my front door. I have always dreaded the day when I came foot to face with a snake in my yard. It has come to pass and I lived to tell about it. In case you did not know, the back runner here in my state is not poisonous and runs from people as quick as a bat of the eye. I was not in danger but I was none the less in a state of shock.

To my surprise, I ended up spending the evening with family outdoors in the same area where I had almost been treaded upon by the snake earlier in the day. I guess if you love gardening and seeing spring in action, nothing will deter you. At least, not me it seems.


One of my favorite trees in the spring time is the Tulip Tree, or more commonly known,the Magnolia Tree. I have a lovely purple one at the corner of my house that never fails to put on a great show. I enjoy riding around my area looking at the different tulip trees. They can be breathtaking and add early color to any landscape.


When I lived up north, I would come back home to Mississippi by train. I could always tell when I had crossed the state line into Mississippi. In the tree line, next to the train tracks, I could see beautiful snow white blossoms amoung the leafless still dormant tress of the woods.It was the Dogwood Tree in full bloom. The arching shapes were poetic with no two trees the same. The Dogwood Tree always add majesty to the yet sleeping forest.

A little sass is given against a backsplash of green grass sprigs that is called the Redbud Tree. Its electric pink signals Spring has officially sprung.

So many spring blooming trees to choose from to chase away the winter blahs. Bees a-buzzin and me a-gawkin; this is my favorite time of the year.